BENGALURU: The BBMP has been maintaining that all its seven waste processing plants, which were set up after spending hundreds of crores, have stopped functioning because of protests by villagers. But experts say that there is more to it than meets the eye.
Ms Sandhya Narayanan of the Solid Waste Management Round Table told Deccan Chronicle, “The main reason for waste processing plants to have stopped functioning is because the BBMP has failed to send segregated waste to these plants. The city generates around 2,300 tonnes of garbage every day. Of which, 43 percent is segregated, as per BBMP’s own admission. There are many wards which have been segregating around 90 percent of waste. Then, why aren't these waste processing plants being supplied with segregated waste?"
MSGP Infra, which is nearly 70 km away from the city at Doddaballapura, is being supplied with 180 tonnes of segregated waste. “Why can’t the BBMP send the same waste to processing plants that are closer to the city? This will certainly reduce the cost for the BBMP,” she said.
A top BBMP official, however, said that the Palike will take steps to improve segregation at source and feed all the processing plants. “We will rope in waste volunteers and experts by this month-end and come up with a plan to improve segregation. The percentage which is around 45 percent will be improved to 65 percent by training pourakarmikas and sensitising the people,” he said.
